Wizards and Puppies
by incensedance
Summary: It was supposed to be a simple mission, to protect a school of children. The only thing Sakumo worried about was leaving his son Kakashi at home. What he didn’t count on was the stubbornness of a three-year-old prodigy.
1. Prologue

**Title: Wizards and Puppies**

Disclaimer: I'm just a poor fanfic writer, so obviously I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter, or I would be rich.

Summary: It was supposed to be a simple mission, to protect a school of children. The only thing Sakumo worried about was leaving his son Kakashi at home. What he didn't count on was the stubbornness of a three-year-old prodigy.

Author's note: Another crossover. I couldn't resist. XP And I have no plot, so I hontestly don't know how this is going to turn out... well, here goes nothing.

* * *

Chapter: Prologue

"Kunai?"

"Hai."

"Shuriken?"

"Hai."

"Katana?"

"Hai."

"Summoning Scrolls?"

"Hai."

"Toothbrush?"

"……"

The three-year-old looked up from the large trunk that they were packing, a large grin on his face. He shook his head, sending snowy hair flying around his face. The older man, whose white hair was tied in a long tail that flowed down his back, but who otherwise looking no more than twenty-five, raised an eyebrow.

"You forgot the toothbrush, tou-san." The boy chirruped, eyes creasing into a grin.

"I did." Hatake Sakumo agreed, the corner of his mouth twitching. He ruffled the boy's hair, "Thank you for telling me, Kakashi."

"So you'll stay?" the boy—Kakashi—asked hopefully, his eyes going wide with expectation. The puppy-eyes ploy again. Sakumo sighed, "No, Kakashi. I'm still going on the mission."

He watched with slightly amusement as the puppy eyes disappeared, only to be replaced by a pout, complete with the crossed arms, the watery, half-pleading look, and the trembling lower lip. Sakumo raised an eyebrow; he recognized The Pout, the one that had won Kakashi the undying adoration of every kunoichi he turned it on. The kid was bringing out the heavy artillery.

Fortunately (for Sakumo at least) he was mostly immune to anything his son could throw at him. Years of building up his defenses left him with only a slightly guilty tug at his heartstrings as he refused the plea to stay again.

"And you can't come with me either." He added, seeing Kakashi open his mouth again. The mouth snapped shut and Sakumo fended off the glare sent towards him with a smile and a half-shrug, "Sorry, kid. Maybe when you're older."

"I _am_ older!" Kakashi protested with all the vehemence a three-year-old prodigy could muster, "I'm _three_!"

The complete seriousness of his tone only served to elicit a chuckle from Sakumo. "Three isn't exactly old." He murmured, ruffling the boy's silvery hair again, much to the displeasure of the owner of said hair.

It was, Kakashi decided, the wheels turning in his genius three-year-old brain, time to use _that_ move. He started by scrunching up his face, then drawing in a large breath of air in preparation to loosen it in a wail that would have melted even the iciest of hearts. A look of panic flitted across Sakumo's face; he recognized the signs of the boy's ultimate move ,the infallible ploy that not even Sakumo was immune to. He knew he had to act quickly.

The White Fang rose fluidly from his cross-legged position in front of the trunk, and he was already halfway to the door before Kakashi could make a sound. "Sorry kid, gotta go find that toothbrush."

He was out the door in a heartbeat leaving behind a scowling three-year-old. However, because he was in such a hurry, Sakumo never saw the crafty look that passed over Kakashi's young face. If he had, then he would never have returned with his toothbrush.

* * *

It was early in the morning. Too early, Sakumo thought, to be up. There should be a law against early-morning missions. Maybe he would have a talk with the Hokage after he got back from this mission (what were time zones anyways? Sakumo had never had any problems with them in the other shinobi countries.)

Yawning, the White Fang grabbed his packed trunk. The wooden trunk itself was heavier than anything a shinobi would normally carry, but he was going to be in a completely different country and he _would _fit in, even if this meant he had to lug this cursedly heavy thing around with him.

As he passed through the hallways of his family house (painfully empty with only two inhabitants, but he had grown accustomed to the echoing silence), Sakumo paused outside a door. It was half-open with the messily scrawled words "My Room" on the door in the shaky script of a three-year-old (how proud Sakumo had been when Kakashi learned to write, or at least scribble something along the lines of kanji, at the age of two-and-eight-months).

A smile crossed Sakumo's face, despite his sleepiness. He peeked inside, greeted by the comforting sight of a kid-sized bed, with a small lump in the blankets and a small tuft of silvery hair sticking out at the top of the blankets (Kakashi had asked for his own room a few months ago, arguing that he was "already _three!_"). The lump moved up and down steadily with each even breath the occupant of the bed took.

Sakumo watched his son sleep for a moment, savoring the warm feeling that welled up inside him, marred by a hint of melancholy. It was, after all, the last time he would be seeing Kakashi in a long time. His mission to protect a certain school in a faraway country on the mainland (a land without ninjas and where people used sticks instead of kunai and "spells" instead of jutsu), would last almost a year. There would be periodic breaks when he might return, but most of the time he would spend away from Konoha.

If he had a choice he would have declined; a year was too long to be away from his only family member left. But Sarutobi had insisted ("The client asked for the best of the best, Sakumo. The White Fang, as one of Konoha's top shinobi, is perfect for this mission. Kakashi will be cared for—in fact, jiraiya practically volunteered to watch him."). And though he doubted the motives of his Sannin-friend, Sakumo knew there was no questioning Jiraiya's devotion—or the Hokage's orders.

With a soft sigh, Sakumo closed the door to his son's room. If only Kakashi was old enough to come with him…but the boy was only three, not yet an academy student, let alone a genin. There would be no place for him in the mission, only possible danger. With another, final glance towards the bedrrom door, Sakumo left, lugging his heavy wooden trunk.

He didn't look back.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Sakumo stood in the Hokage's office, staring at the object the Sandaime had just handed to him. Unconsciously, his eyebrow twitched. "Just what exactly am I supposed to do with _this_?" he asked, brandishing the old (and smelly) boot.

"Patience, Sakumo-san." The Hokage chided, "I was about to explain that."

Sakumo shut his mouth, settling for a half-interested glare instead of vocal objection. The Hokage cleared his throat, "As I was explaining before the completely unnecessary interruption," here he shot a pointed glance towards the jonin in front of him, "This is a, ah, 'port-key'." He explained, as if the single foreign word would clear up all matters.

The twitch returned to Sakumo's eyebrow. _No, strangling the Hokage is not allowed. Nor is ripping out his tongue._

"The client, you see, is very secretive of where this assignment is taking place." The Sandaime continued, unaware of the jonin's murderous thoughts, "This port-key is a unique invention of their society. It will take you to your destination without revealing to you the exact location of the school."

Sakumo eyed the dilapidated boot skeptically, _This is supposed to bring me to the client?_ "With all due respect, Hokage-sama-"

But the Sandaime was not listening. He glanced at the clock on the wall instead, "It will activate in approximately ten seconds." He informed the jonin calmly, "Hold onto your things. The client said that the effects were quite disorientating."

Sighing in resignation, Sakumo obeyed, grabbing a hold of the handle of his trunk, "I really don't think that this-"

"Don't worry, Jiraiya should be arriving at your house about now. He will take care of Kakashi during your absence." The Sandaime interrupted.

"Hokage-sama, I was about to ask-"

"Three seconds left, remember that the client has asked you to try your best to blend in with the people of his society."

"Damnit, Sarutobi, how am I going to get back-"

But Sakumo never got his answer because at that moment he felt a tug at his navel, as if a hook had gripped him there and was pulling him forward towards the boot. Panic welled up in Sakumo's chest; no ninja liked being caught unawares. What came next was a ninja's worst nightmare, as the world seemed to melt away like candle wax and spin like a blender, and Sakumo felt his non-existent breakfast churn uncomfortably in his empty stomach. It was all he could do to hold on to the trunk in one hand and the boot in the other.

When the ground finally stabilized below his feet, he had the urge to kiss it. But the white-haired old man who stood watching him amusedly through half-moon spectacles reminded him that it would not be ninja-like to do so.

"Hello," the old man greeted in Sakumo's language.

"You're the client, I assume." Sakumo replied, dusting off his clothes, making sure that his trunk was still with him.

"And you must be the shinobi from Konoha." The old man said, sticking out a hand, "Albus Dumbledore at your service."

Sakumo stared at the outstretched hand, wondering what kind of strange custom this was because he was sure he didn't owe any money to this old man. "Um, Hatake Sakumo." He said, saluting instead.

The old man—Dumbledore, if Sakumo remembered correctly—raised a white eyebrow but did not comment. Instead, he smiled, the kind of smile that Sakumo imagined the Sandaime would have twenty years from now, when he was older and nicer to his subordinates.

"Welcome to Hogwarts."

* * *

TBC


	2. Surprise, Surprise

**Title: Wizards and Puppies**

Disclaimer: I'm just a poor fanfic writer, so obviously I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter, or I would be rich.

Summary: It was supposed to be a simple mission, to protect a school of children. The only thing Sakumo worried about was leaving his son Kakashi at home. What he didn't count on was the stubbornness of a three-year-old prodigy.

Author's Note: Yep, chapter one is up! And congratulations to stormwolf527 and cristi08 for guessing. Was it really that obvious? XP

* * *

Chapter One: Surprise, Surprise

Jiraiya appeared in the middle of the Hatake living room surrounded by a thick cloud of smoke. He would've used a toad summon for added effect, but he knew how much Sakumo hated toads, not to mention the fact that some of the dogs that man owned saw toads as no more than tasty dog-treat substitutes (he wondered vindictively how they would have done against Gamabunta).

The reason for his dramatic entrance was, as always, to impress someone. Except this time the person to be impressed was not a beautiful, buxom lady. Nor, Jiraiya realized once the smoke cleared, was he present.

The future-Sannin looked around in surprise; it was already mid-morning, and he doubted that the energetic silver-haired occupant of the house would sleep in late. In fact, Jiraiya barely remembered ever seeing the brat—ahem, child, lie down at all, let alone sleep. But the silver-haired monstrosity—um, boy, was nowhere to be seen this morning.

Jiraiya frowned, trying to ignore the emergency signals his ninja senses were sending to his brains. It would be a great setback to his plan if he couldn't find the boy (because he knew that women simply loved little children, especially those around Kakashi's age). Perhaps he had a late night and was still sleeping.

With this small bit of hope, Jiraiya made his way carefully through the house (he was careful to check every door for traps before entering. The last time he had failed to do that, he had ended up with a bucket of freezing water over his head and no doubt that Kakashi had the makings of a very good shinobi). Kakashi's room should be—there, the one with the scribbles on the door.

He opened the door a crack, peeking through with all the caution of someone sealing a tailed beast. But there was toy kunai aimed at his head or bucket of water or worse; instead Jiraiya only heard an ominous silence, a dark room with the curtains drawn. And for some reason, that scared him more than any loud traps.

Jiraiya threw open the door, prepared for anything that might come at him, which would be better than that scary silence. But nothing did, and the foreboding feeling that had assaulted his ninja senses since his arrival intensified almost to the point of paranoia. The bed was on the right side of the room—a kid-sized bed that would have dwarfed the three-year-old anyways—and there was a single lump in the middle of the blankets.

The lump was breathing rhythmically, and the tuft of silver hair protruding from blankets clearly indicated that Kakashi was still asleep. Jiraiya's anxiety evaporated into relief; so the boy was only sleeping, tired from the day of packing with his father.

Quietly, Jiraiya made his way to the bedside, but not before throwing open the curtains to allow maximum morning sunlight into the room. There was always a certain pleasure to payback, even if it was against a kid barely able to walk and talk (but Jiraiya still remembered the little monstrosity's gleeful laugh when he saw his newest color of the toad sage's hair, courtesy of one of the monstrosity's tricks), and Jiraiya knew what it was like to wake up to a loud voice and eyeful of harsh light.

There was a slight pang—maybe he was being a little cruel—but that was quickly wiped out by the memory of the call-Jiraiya-pervert-in-public incident (that people were more inclined to side with a three-year-old rather than a respected jonin had always mystified him). So, a bit more cheerfully than was needed, Jiraiya grabbed the blanket on the bed and whipped it off, shouting "Wakey, wakey, sleepyhead!"

However, as Jiraiya soon found out, the best wrought plans often failed. Such was the case, and the Sannin found himself wishing that he had stayed home that day.

Because the occupant of the bed was not in fact a certain silver-haired, mischievous individual, but rather a medium-sized, furry nin-dog, one of Sakumo's summons. It blinked up at him blearily, blowing long silvery fur—the same color as the "hair" which had protruded from the blankets—out of its black eyes. Jiraiya's first thought was that the monstrosity had somehow, inexplicably turned himself into a dog, because that scenario was much more comforting than the other alternative he saw.

"Yo." The nin-dog greeted, getting lazily to its feet, "Good morning, Jiraiya-sama."

And Jiraiya's last hopes were dashed to pieces because the monstrosity would never be so polite.

* * *

"Welcome to Hogwarts."

Now that the dizziness from that god-awful 'port-key' thing was mostly gone, Sakumo started to take in his surroundings. Discreetly, of course, since it would not do to seem like a gawking idiot. The first thing he noticed was that the sunlight streaming in through the window clearly indicated it was _not_ abysmally early in the morning here.

The walls of the room he was in were made of stone, unlike the wooden structures of Konoha, and that, along with a single strange-looking crimson-plumed bird and many twirling, silvery things that littered the room, there were many portraits hanging on the walls. At the sight of the portraits, he had the sudden urge to rub his eyes, just in case he was hallucination, because from what he knew, pictures were supposed to stay _still_, not move around like living, walking people. In retrospect, that was his first sign of things to come.

"I see you've noticed the previous headmasters." His old-man client, Dumbledore or whatnot, chuckled. Apparently the sight of animate pictures was enough to cause Sakumo to drop the pretense of disinterest.

"Um, yeah. Are they supposed to stare at me like that?" the White Fang asked, slightly unnerved by the piercing looks, especially that of a richly-robed, arrogant-looking man with dark hair.

Sakumo nearly jumped out of his skin (but he managed to retain his aplomb, or at least some semblance of it) as the portrait of a rheumatic old man actually spoke out loud. But his eyes, as Dumbledore later cheerily informed him, had grown to the size of saucers.

"What the-!? It just talked!" Sakumo squawked, pointing an almost accusing finger at the portrait.

The client chuckled, destroying the impression of a compassionate old man (couldn't he see that Sakumo was going to have a heart attack?), "Yes, our portraits have the tendency to do that. But I assure you, Mr…Hatake was it, that they are not a threat to you."

"What did it say?" Now that the initial shock was over, Sakumo realized that he had not understood a single word the picture had said. It was almost as if it had spoken a different language…

"Ah yes, we speak English here at Hogwarts, though I myself have the fortune to know some Japanese." Dumbledore said cheerfully, blithely unaware of the damage he had just done to Sakumo's already fragile psyche, "And I believe that the Headmaster Dippet was asking what you did to your hair."

Meanwhile, the latter part of the conversation had gone completely unheard, as Sakumo's mind turned quickly, digesting what the client's words implied. _English? What the hell!? Sarutobi never said anything about a new language. How in the world am I supposed to learn it in time for the mission!?_

And as if he knew exactly what Sakumo was thinking, Dumbledore spoke up again, "Don't worry about the language barrier." He said, "We have plenty of translation-charms."

"Huh?" Sakumo muttered. _Translation-charm?_

"A demonstration is in order, if you don't mind." Dumbledore said, taking a stick from his billowy robes. He muttered something unintelligible, waving the stick in a strange pattern. Nothing happened. The portraits started speaking again and Sakumo was wondering what that was all about (and if the client was maybe slightly insane).

"-young. And look at that hideous hair." The arrogant-looking portrait finished.

"My hair is _not_ hideous!" Sakumo snapped indignantly before realizing that he had actually _understood_ the insult to his mane. The portraits stared at him, surprised, for a moment before breaking into chatter again.

"I say, such insolence-"

"Is he the one they sent-"

"I thought we asked Konoha for a professional, not-"

That was going too far. Sakumo was one of the best jonin of his village, former ANBU, nothing if not a professional. He was the White Fang of Konoha, whose page in the bingo book said "flee on sight", who had completed more S-ranked missions than most lesser ninja had B-ranked ones.

Sakumo straightened, "I am Hatake Sakumo," He announced, exuding a tiny bit of killing aura, not without some vindictiveness, "White Fang of Konoha, best of the best. And I will be the one protecting your school for the next year, so I would suggest you not underestimate me!"

He grinned triumphantly at their silence, which he conveniently interpreted as stunned admiration. And he would have continued to describe his greatness, if he hadn't been interrupted by a sneeze. Sakumo froze. Usually, something as small as a sudden expulsion of air would not have fazed the White Fang, but _this _one was different. He would've recognized _this_ particular sneeze anywhere, but he knew it was definitely _not_ supposed to be here.

The sneeze had come from the worst possible place. It was his trunk. A feeling of dread passed over him like a storm cloud over a clear sky, because there was only one explanation for the sneeze. Dumbledore had apparently heard the sound as well, because he raised his eyebrows, glancing pointedly at Sakumo. _Shinobi rule number twenty-five,_ Sakumo reminded himself, _even if you feel mortified, don't show it._

The Konoha jonin laughed nervously, immediately bending down over his trunk, the source of the noise. A few seconds later, the latch popped open, and the lid of the trunk sprang up. Out tumbled a small blur of white, letting loose another sneeze, before blinking up at the two adults, one bird, and various magical objects in the room with a pair of large, curious eyes.

Dumbledore's eyebrows rose higher, until they almost disappeared into his hairline, and Sakumo resisted the urge to cringe, expecting a harsh reprimand, while the larger portion of his mind was shouting, _How in the world did _he_ get here!?_

"My, what a surprise." The old man said mildly. There was a twinkle in his eye, however, that gave away his amusement. The portraits on the walls, shocked into silence again, now recovered their ability to move again, and broke out into scandalized whispers.

The small boy who had just appeared from the trunk broke into a grin, "Tou-san!" he greeted happily, conveniently overlooking the peeved expression on his father's face, "See? I came to help you with your mission!"

But, after the initial shock, the mission was the last thing on Sakumo's mind at the moment, "What the _hell_ were you _thinking_!?" he shouted, shinboi rule number twenty-five completely forgotten, "Do you know how _dangerous_ this could be!? This is a _mission_, not some field trip at the academy, you could get _hurt_ or worse!"

And then he stopped, his next words caught in his throat by the look on the boy's face. Kakashi had a wide-eyed, almost frightened expression—he had never seen his father this angry before, and it was a daunting sight to see. Tears welled up in the boy's eyes, threatening to fall.

_Nice going,_ Sakumo groaned mentally, feeling the guilt raise its ugly head inside him,_ I just made my only son cry._ He could feel the headache coming on.

"Um, Kakashi, I didn't-" he tried again, helplessly trying to somehow fix the _faux pas_.

But the tears were spilling over, and Kakashi sniffled pathetically, looking rather like a kicked puppy. Yes, maybe he spoiled the boy, but Kakashi was his only boy, and the sight of his tears was enough to make Sakumo panic, and currently his brain was going into overload, trying to find a way to make him stop crying. Unfortunately, no bright ideas came to mind, and he froze up with indecision.

"Ah, perhaps this is where I should intervene a bit." Dumbledore finally decided that it was time to do something before he had a parental crisis on his hands. With a swift flick of his wand, the headmaster conjured a set of rather worn children's toys. And though Kakashi was not exactly the sort to play with teddy bears and building blocks (he preferred kunai and shuriken, much to Sakumo's consternation), their sudden appearance was enough to shock him into ceasing his crying.

"I believe, my dear, that your father is merely worried about you." The old man explained kindly. Sakumo shot him a thankful glance, before turning his attention back to the silver-haired child who was now staring curiously at the strangely dressed old man, though the tear stains were still vivid on his cheeks.

"So, tou-san is not mad?" Kakashi asked, a tentative tremor to his otherwise calm voice, a hint of unease in his wide eyes.

Sakumo shook his head, "I'm disappointed, Kakashi," he said, only a bit of admonishment in his voice, "But not mad. What you did was not the best idea, but I won't shout at you anymore." He added, managing to sound only slightly remoseful.

Kakashi broke into a smile again, and, running forward, he flung his arms around his father's waist, and Sakumo had to grin as well. "I'll help with the mission," Kakashi announced, "I promise."

"I'm sure you will." Sakumo answered, ruffling his hair, "But I'm afraid not."—Kakashi's smile immediately turned into a pout (and Sakumo wondered how he could change faces so quickly)—"because Jiraiya will undoubtedly worried about you when he finds that you're missing tomorrow morning." The White Fang added quickly.

"I don't want to stay with the pervert!" the boy protested, much to Dumbledore's amusement, "I wanna stay with tou-san! I promise I won't be bad!"

"Absolutely not."

"Please!" Kakashi's pout was suddenly replaced again with a sneaky look, the one that gave Sakumo the feeling of impending doom that he was getting to know very well lately, "'Sides," he added triumphantly, "I don't know the way back."

Not for the first time and definitely not for the last, Sakumo wished his son was not such a genius. He turned to look at Dumbledore with an almost pleading look, "Please tell me you can send him back."

"I can, but I will require some information." The old man replied, still smiling amusedly, "If I am to create a portkey to your village again, I need the exact coordinates."

Sakumo's heart sank, the barrier that protected Konoha also had the unfortunate side effect of preventing the exact location from being given to non-inhabitants. "But, weren't you able to send us here with the port-key thing? Why can't you just, um, reverse it or something?"

"Nope." Dumbledore replied, rather cheerfully for a denial. "Portkeys only work one-way." He explained, "They transport people to a destination from wherever they are. All I did was send it in with a messenger bird, and it would transport you here at the established time."

"I…see…" Sakumo muttered weakly. Of course, the barrier also allowed messenger birds to come and go, to facilitate international communication. "Then…there's no other way?"

"I'm afraid not." Dumbledore answered, definitely too cheerfully for Sakumo's current mood, "At least not until your Lord Hokage sends us the coordinates."

"So I can stay?" Kakashi asked quickly, eagerly.

Sakumo hesitated, because the mission _was_ dangerous, but as of the moment, he had no way to send Kakashi back, and the client appeared to have no objections (though whether that was a good thing was unclear, considering the old man's…weirdness.), and he wouldn't have to worry about Jiraiya's intentions (he strongly suspected his noble friend would have no qualms using the boy as 'chick bait'). "Alright." He finally said, "You can-"

But his next words were drowned out by Kakashi's shout of joy as he hugged his father once more.

TBC


	3. Mission Details and Meeting the Staff

**Title: Wizards and Puppies**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and Harry Potter, but I do own a desire not to be suedS

Summary: It was supposed to be a simple mission, to protect a school of children. The only thing Sakumo worried about was leaving his son Kakashi at home. What he didn't count on was the stubbornness of a three-year-old prodigy.

Author's note: So yeah, it's been over a week since I last updated (sorry, :( I was distracted). And I got eighteen reviews! Thanks to all the people who did so! My chapters are just getting longer and longer. But that's a good thing. So ignore my sleep-deprived rambling and enjoy the next chapter. :D

---

Chapter Two: Mission Details and Meeting the Staff

"So what are the details of the mission?" Sakumo inquired—in English, so Kakashi would not ask any prying questions—looking at the client expectantly. Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, "The Lord Hokage didn't tell you?" he asked, surprised.

Sakumo shook his head, "No, just the big idea. Protect a school, make sure the students don't hurt themselves or others, keep the bad guys far away." The "Lord Hokage", he remembered resentfully, had been too busy trying to get rid of him (or perhaps it was to make sure he actually went) to tell him the specifics.

"Ano sa, what are you saying, Tou-san?" Kakashi interrupted childishly, his pout returning "Why can't I understand?"

"Shh, Kakashi, this is grown-up talk." Sakumo shushed him distractedly, "Very important grown-up talk."

Kakashi opened his mouth to say something—his experience of grown-up talk was mostly limited yo Jiraiya talking with Sakumo about stuff a three-year-old didn't understand in hushed tones and with several blushes or strange-sounding giggles; any other serious talk was labeled "mission talk" and strictly "confidential". But a look from his father promising a stern lecture for disobedience effectively quieted him, though his silence was a sullen one.

"No worries," Dumbledore said, "I can cast the translation charm on your boy as well." And he did, before Sakumo could stop him. The White Fang could only sigh in resignation as a now-English-speaking terror was unleashed on the school. At least the arrogant-looking portrait would suffer.

As if on cue, Kakashi, unable to keep his silence for long, piped up again while tugging on his father's hand, "What's wrong with the person over there?"—he pointed a finger at a certain haughty portrait—"He looks like an Uchiha prat." (Sakumo cringed inwardly with guilt; he knew very well where his son had learned such language)

The portrait, who did not understand 'Uchiha' but unfortunately understood 'prat' all too well, protested loudly about the questionable innocence of children nowadays.

And despite the fact that his son was here with him on a potentially dangerous, unranked mission, Sakumo felt a smile struggling to break through to his face. But he hid it expertly, ignoring the indignant squawking of the portrait and Kakashi's insistence that it must be somehow related to the clan back in Konoha, and turned back to Dumbledore.

"So about the mission…"

---

The details of the mission were grave enough for Sakumo to sober up a bit. Dumbledore had kindly provided a room for him and Kakashi, a relatively large room, complete with a high window, where a beam of sunlight lit up the surrounding darkness, and a single four-poster bed large enough for two people, let alone a man and a tiny three-year-old. There was a fireplace, currently empty because Sakumo had no idea how to start a fire without burning up half the room, and a thick rug spread in front of the fireplace, on which Kakashi was sprawled sleepily (he had not gotten much sleep while hiding in the trunk, partly because it was so dusty in there).Candleholders and tapestries that thankfully did not move were hung around the walls.

Now, sitting at the desk, Sakumo spread the mission information that he had gotten from the headmaster and started to think up strategies. Apparently, a criminal (the equivalent of an S-class missing-nin by these wizards' standards) had escaped from incarceration just a few months previous, and it was widely believed he would target a certain in the school. It was Sakumo's responsibility, therefore, to protect said boy as well as the rest of the student populace, from the dangerous criminal.

The name of said criminal was Sirius Black, and his crime was the murder of thirteen innocent people in an attempt to escape justice. To Sakumo who had claimed the lives of countless enemy ninja, thirteen was not a large number, certainly not enough to be classified as an S-class convict, but he supposed that people did things differently here. A look at the picture of the man revealed a pale, gaunt face framed by disheveled locks of dark hair, and two dark scowling eyes burning with an inner fire that Sakumo recognized as the desire for revenge.

As he was staring, the man in the picture scowled at him, as if he knew the person who now held the photo was going to be a hindrance in the future. Sakumo suppressed a shudder; he would never get used to these moving pictures. _Well,_ the White Fang thought optimistically, _he doesn't look that tough._ But then again, who could tell with these wizards who cared nothing for physical strength?

Sakumo turned to the next photograph. The name of the boy he had to protect was Harry Potter. His picture showed a relatively normal-looking, albeit skinny, boy with piercing green eyes and messy dark hair that almost managed to hide the nearly imperceptible scar on his forehead. Scars were nothing new (Sakumo had at least a dozen of them, and that was few for a shinobi), but according to Dumbledore, this boy's scar was somehow…cursed. After a long scrutiny that seemed to make the picture-Harry very nervous (he kept on smoothing down his bangs to hide his scar), Sakumo finally put that photograph down too.

With a sigh, Sakumo leaned back in his chair; this mission was getting more and more troublesome, especially after the headmaster revealed what his cover would be. The mere thought of this elicited another groan from the jonin, _Of all the things he had to choose, why this?_

Because Hatake Sakumo, merciless shinobi and professional assassin, was to become the School Counselor of Hogwarts.

_Counselor? Why the hell counselor? Heck, I can barely stand listening to Jiraiya grumble about his love pursuits, or lack thereof, so how in the world does he expect me to stay here and listen to a bunch of angst-ridden teenagers whining to me?_

Which is precisely what he had said when the topic came up. Of course, Dumbledore had been quite optimistic; the headmaster had told him, in the exact words "All you have to do is nod and smile and say the occasional kind word or so. Children are all so easy to please." But somehow, Sakumo doubted it would be so simple. If he was lucky, he'd only end up mildly insane by the end of the year, and would therefore qualify for ANBU, but the prospect was not a very pleasing one.

But the client's word was final, and Sakumo was sure Sarutobi would punish him severely (via nothing but boring, tedious, D-ranked missions for a few years) if he somehow messed up the mission by maiming the client. With another sigh, this time of resignation, the jonin started to draw up battle plans.

---

"Tou-san." the childish voice sank into his subconscious like a fuzzy memory. It sounded very familiar, but he shrugged it off, preferring instead to stay within the warm bubble that currently surrounded him.

"Tou-san!" this time the voice was more urgent, and accompanied by the disturbing sensation of someone poking his side. He twitched, taking the sides of the bubble and wrapping them tighter around himself and letting out an unintelligible grumble of annoyance. There was a pause in the noise outside his bubble, during which he sighed contentedly and prepared to lose himself to the comforting darkness again.

"Jiraiya-pervert brought his girlfriend. He wants to borrow your bedroom."

Sakumo's eyes flew open in alarm, "Not in my house, Jiraiya!" he shouted, looking around wildly. But instead of the familiar sight of his own room and his white-haired friend, Sakumo saw a much younger, cuter face grinning at him in the background of stone walls and tapestries.

"See," Kakashi said smugly from beside his father, "It always works."

"Kakashi…" Sakumo groaned, just as the boy's face immediately became the epitome of innocence.

Sometimes it was tough having a genius for a son. After all, the situation Kakashi used had only happened once before when the toad-sage had lost his keys, and Sakumo had made very sure that Jiraiya would never do something like that again (and had accidentally scared away Jiraiya's girlfriend in the process).

"Did you have a good nap?" a third voice registered in the jonin's mind. He immediately recognized it as the client's.

"D-Dumbledore-san!" Sakumo sat up immediately, trying to hide the flush that was threatening to creep onto his face. Judging from the evening light coming in from the window, he had dozed off somewhere in the middle of planning the defense, and had been asleep for about five hours. What would Sarutobi say if he knew the White Fang had been caught sleeping on the job? Of course, Sakumo thought vengefully, it was all the Hokage's fault anyways, because how was one supposed to stay up on only three hours of sleep in two days?

Dumbledore chuckled, sounding suspiciously like Sarutobi, "Don't worry, I won't dock your pay for being a bit tired after everything you've been through. I admit, the transition from your time zone is not an easy one since it is the exact opposite of our own time."

Again with the time zone things. "Still," Sakumo insisted, "I am on a mission, and it is my duty to complete my responsibilities to the best of my ability. Weariness is not an excuse for this lapse in conduct."

But Dumbledore merely dismissed the apology with a wave of his hand, "We do things differently here." He said in a way of explanation, smiling kindly. And though he was still a bit dubious, Sakumo nodded anyways, deciding it was better to agree with the client.

"Ah yes, I came here to bring you two to meet the staff." Dumbledore announced. Sakumo looked up in interest; he knew that the staff would probably be a critical part of his plans in keeping the school safe.

"And of course," the headmaster continued, "They will also want to know about Kakashi, since I failed to mention him to any of them yet." He sent a pointed glance towards Sakumo, who mentally cringed.

"I'll think of something." He muttered.

Dumbledore nodded, apparently satisfied, and ordered them to follow him. "Don't get lost," he warned as he turned to lead, "The school is a very large and confusing place."

_I'm sure I can find my way around,_ Sakumo thought dismissively, though he knew better than to say it out loud, _how hard could it be?_

He soon found out how wrong he was. When Dumbledore led them from his office to their room, it had only been through a few hallways, and true, there had been moving paintings and a few strange-looking metal statues of humans, but those had been expected. What Sakumo hadn't guessed was the sheer _size_ of the place.

It was all he could do to keep himself from gaping openly as Kakashi was doing at the sight of the staircases. There were huge, sweeping structures of stone and marble of varying lengths, but also thin, winding ones that looked like they could not support the weight of an overly heavy student. The staircases connected different floors in a seemingly random arrangement.

"This way," Dumbledore intoned, gesturing towards a particularly long one, leading down to what seemed to be the ground floor.

The two foreigners followed him, staring around in amazement. The amazement abruptly turned to shock as the steps beneath their feet started to _move_. Kakashi gave a startled yelp and latched onto his father's pant leg with a death-grip while staring at the floor as if it had just disappeared beneath him. And Sakumo let loose a few curses—under his breath of course, because there was a child present whom he did not want learning any more dirty words.

Dumbledore surveyed their reactions with a raised brow and a sheepish look, "Ah, my mistake. I have forgotten how disorienting Hogwarts can be to newcomers." He said apologetically.

Sakumo resisted the urge to glare at him (he was more successful than Kakashi), as he attempted to loosen the boy's clutch on his leg (it was hindering his movements in case of an attack, and after this he didn't know what to expect next).

As soon as they reached the end of the staircase, the movement stopped, and Kakashi finally released his stubborn grip, opting instead for to scramble away quickly from the scary moving steps. "Do they all do that?" Sakumo asked, stepping off after the headmaster.

"Oh, no," Dumbledore replied, smiling, "The other stairs have different quirks. That winding one, for example, has a vanishing step halfway across, which you must be sure to skip over. Now come along, we wouldn't want to keep you colleagues waiting."

Sakumo followed the old man with a rather unhappy expression on his face, wondering if he could get away with using the walls instead of the stairs. The idea was discarded immediately, because as far as he knew, the people here did not have the ability to walk vertically up the walls, and if he wanted to blend in, neither did he.

The group finally stopped in front of a door, labeled "Staff Room" and flanked by two ugly-looking, singed statues, and Dumbledore opened the door without bothering to knock. Beyond the door, there was a long, room lit by candles and occupied by a whole group of strangely dressed people standing or sitting in various, mismatched chairs. All eyes turned to the headmaster and the foreigners.

"Hello, everyone." Dumbledore greeted, "I would like to introduce our newest addition, Mr. Sakumo Hatake, who will take the position of school counselor."

There was a chorus of greetings from the other staff members, even as Sakumo bowed respectfully. "Hajimemashite." He greeted in his own language, unsure of the customs for greeting here. "Nice to meet you as well." He clarified, seeing their confused expressions.

"This is the 'shinobi' that you hired?"

All eyes turned to the speaker, a dark-haired man with a hooked nose and a sneer. There was a certain kind of contempt in the way he said the word 'shinobi' as if it were a joke that he did not find funny. "Severus…" a woman (tight-lipped and severe looking with her hair pulled back in a painfully tight bun) muttered out of the corner of her mouth in a warning tone.

But the dark-haired man ignored her, "I expected someone more…professional."

Sakumo's eyebrow twitched, and a vein was pulsing in his forehead. Enough with the non-professional crap! If only he weren't on a mission, then he'd show this insolent jerk--

"I assure you, Severus, that Mr. Hatake is a fully qualified professional." Dumbledore interjected smoothly (with a look towards the dark-haired man that told him that any further uncalled comments would have negative results for his paycheck) before Sakumo could do something extremely rash, such as pin him to the wall with kunai.

"I apologize for my colleague's discourtesy." Apologized the tight-haired woman.

Sakumo nodded in acceptance, though not without a glare sent in the man's direction. He could already tell that the two of them would not be getting along very well.

"His name is Severus Snape, and he is also the potions master of our school." The woman continued to explain, "And I am Minerva McGonagall, Transfiguration professor as well as deputy headmistress." She stuck out a hand, much like the client had done when they first met, "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Um, same here." Sakumo returned with a smile, though he still did not know what to do with the hand. Perhaps he was supposed to take it…? He did so and was only slightly surprised and mostly delighted when she shook it, up and down, for a moment before letting it go. Aha, so that was it!

"Tou-san." A small voice, accompanied by a tugging on Sakumo's pant leg, made known the presence of the second member of the group, who had been unnoticed thus far due to his hiding behind his father's legs and staring fascinated at the stone gargoyles (though he thought of them as 'the oni* with wings') standing outside the door. "I think the oni just _moved_."

Sakumo turned around, but the statues were the last thing on his mind (though it was true one of them appeared to picking its rather ugly nose). He was suddenly hit with the realization that in the shock of the moving staircases and whatnot, he had completely forgotten to fabricate an excuse for the presence of a white-haired boy that looked unmistakably like him.

At a moment like this, the White Fang could only think of one thing. _Well crap._

Snape's face twisted into a sneer, "You brought your _child_? On an undercover and potentially dangerous mission?" It was an obviously barbed comment, but not, unfortunately, without reason.

_There goes my reputation as a professional._ Sakumo lamented, while his mind ran as quickly as he could make it to think of something, _anything _to say. "Um, his name is Kakashi." No sooner was his reply out of his mouth than he mentally cursed himself for his stupidity. _Like that'll explain anything._

McGonagall's brows had also dipped into a frown, "I must agree with Severus, Mr. Hatake," she said, sounding properly scandalized, and eliciting murmurs of agreement from her colleagues "This does not seem to be appropriate for-"

"I came to help tou-san!" Kakashi interrupted proudly, looking up at them with an endearing smile, "Because I'm going to be a shinobi just like him when I get big enough!"

There was a pause as all the attention now focused on the beaming child, taking in his adorable face and large puppy dog eyes. Sakumo had to admit, though his son's cuteness was usually a source of headache, it was undoubtedly effective, and its efficacy was now actually helping. Sakumo snuck a glance towards the client, wondering what the old man would make of this, and saw that the old man was watching it play out with a hidden smirk behind his glasses; it was almost as if he knew what was going to happen.

Nothing, not even the coldest heart, can stand Kakashi's attention seeking ploys for long, and the teachers no exception.

"Well," a stout, grey-haired woman said hesitantly, "I suppose there's not that much harm in him being here. After all, Hogwarts is a very safe place."

"But Pomona-" McGonagall started to protest, but took another look at the boy's pleading look and paused, feeling her own resolve start to crumble.

"And his presence will certainly be a breath of fresh air with all the older children around." A vertically challenged man squeaked (though Sakumo had the sneaking suspicion that the man only wanted someone shorter than him around).

"You too, Filius?" Snape protested ,sounding rather put off that no one seemed to object.

There was a general consensus of agreement among the teachers and rest of the staff that there was not harm in the boy staying. The only ones who seemed to object were Snape and a hunchbacked man in a brown suit and perpetual scowl who claimed he hated all children.

"It's settled then," Dumbledore announced, breaking his self-imposed silence, "Kakashi will stay. In fact, I have already arranged for him to sleep in the same room as Mr. Hatake."

Everyone save two people beamed at the boy, commenting on his absolute adorability.

And Sakumo could only smile weakly as once again he was shown the power of persuasion via Kakashi's puppy-dog eyes.

TBC

A/N: *oni = demons or ogres from Japanese folklore


	4. Mission Start

**Title: Wizards and Puppies**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and Harry Potter, but I do own a desire not to be suedS

Summary: It was supposed to be a simple mission, to protect a school of children. The only thing Sakumo worried about was leaving his son Kakashi at home. What he didn't count on was the stubbornness of a three-year-old prodigy.

Author's note: Long time no see, eh? Sorry for the wait; if you didn't check my profile, I was away for three weeks in a summer camp. I just came back last week, and I know I should have finished this sooner, but…there was a lot of stuff to do. We had friends over at our house (which means doing nothing but talk and play) and I got sick for a day…Meh, excuses aside, here's the next chapter you've all been waiting for (wow, 35 reviews? I'm flattered)!

* * *

Chapter Three: Mission Start

The rest of the introductions went smoothly. Sakumo, being a genius himself, carefully memorized each person's face and name, storing the information in his mind for further reference. Though his colleagues were not as strange as some people in Konoha that he could name, they were not exactly the epitome of normalcy either.

First of all, there was McGonagall and Snape, who seemed to have a mutual dislike for each other that was kept in check only by respect that was just as mutual.

And there was Filius Flitwick, Charms professor (_charms? Sakumo wondered, was that a type of jutsu?_) as well as the shortest man that Sakumo had ever seen, with a head full of white hair (from old age, not natural color) and a voice like a mouse's. They shook hands with a bit of difficulty, as the shinobi had to bend down to be able to reach the other man's outstretched hand.

The stout, grey-haired woman was Pomona Sprout, Herbology professor and head of the Hufflepuff house (Sakumo wisely refrained from commenting that the house name sounded a lot like some sort of fish). She was, thankfully, mostly normal-looking, and reminded Sakumo distinctly of someone's kind old grandmother.

The hunchbacked man with the brown coat, one of the two who had opposed Kakashi's presence, was Argus Filch, the caretaker of the school. As he introduced himself, he sent a menacing look towards Kakashi ("I'll have you know, I believe that all _children"—_he spit this word out as if it were a piece of meat gone bad—"should be severely disciplined. It builds a healthy respect for their betters."), to which the boy responded by sticking out his tongue and making a face. Of course, when Sakumo happened to glance in his direction in reaction to the caretaker's offended look, Kakashi was once again an angel of decorum.

And not to mention the bug-eyed (or maybe it was just her glasses), dreamy Divination professor, Sibyll Trelawney, who smelled strongly of something sickeningly sweet and seemed to think that he would meet a load of misfortune during his stay, judging from the way she sighed sympathetically whenever she met his eyes and not-so-subtle hints that she dropped.

The rest of the staff, though also eccentric by the standards of civilians, were in fact relatively normal. Sakumo silently thanked Kami that they were still bearable. If he had met someone like Jiraiya, or even worse like Orochimaru, he knew he would definitely have to kill something by the end of the mission.

"There are two other members of the staff that are not present here today." Dumbledore informed Sakumo after the introductions were finished, "Rubeus Hagrid, the new Care of Magical Creatures professor, is in his house on the edge of the school grounds, working on his class plans. The new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Remus Lupin, has yet to arrive at Hogwarts, though he will be here next week on the school train along with the students."

Sakumo nodded, making a mental note to go see the two other staff members some other time as they exited the staff room.

"Ano," Sakumo spoke up, "Dumbledore-san, would you happen to have a map of the school that I could use?"

The headmaster's eyebrows rose at the request. "Just so I can plan a few emergency maneuvers." Sakumo added hurriedly.

But Dumbledore merely smiled, "No, you misunderstand. It's just that I forgot that you are new to Hogwarts. Anyone who's been here long enough will realize that there _is_ no set map of the school, though I'm sure a few…ambitions students have attempted to make one. It's because the rooms have a tendency to…shall we say move around. Any non-magical map would be useless here."

"I…see…" Sakumo sighed. There went his hopes for battle plans.

* * *

The week before the start of the school year passed relatively quickly and without too many complications. The client had been kind enough to provide Sakumo with all books that he would need, a wand, and the appropriate wizarding apparel: robes that restricted his movement more than he would have liked but thankfully just plain black instead of the…colorful designs that other members of the staff wore (the ideal specimen would be Dumbledore's royal purple robe with glaring yellow starbursts on it). Kakashi's wardrobe consisted of regular children's clothes (identified as 'muggle clothing' by the headmaster), conjured by Dumbledore in a moment, since no one had been expecting the boy, and therefore no one had bothered to buy him clothes. It was a kind act that Sakumo was grateful for, even if he wished the headmaster had not had an affinity for yellow smiley-faced designs.

Most of the other staff members were preparing their lesson plans for the school year, and therefore had no time to bother with the foreigners, who, they assumed, were making themselves at home, integrating into the environment of Hogwarts. And integrating they were, though Sakumo still had problems finding certain rooms even after a tour of the school with Dumbledore, he had mostly memorized the layout of the school.

The only free staff member was Filch, who treated Kakashi as if he were a flea-infested mongrel and treated his flea-infested cat as if it were a princess (and, being a dog person himself, Kakashi _hated_ said cat, who was a clone of its master in personality).

So in the absence of any unoccupied and adults, Kakashi had taken the time to make friends with many of the portraits, and even the resident ghosts (which gave both Kakashi and Sakumo a huge shock when they entered through the wall, the result of which was Sakumo clinging to the corner of the ceiling with one hand held protectively around Kakashi and the other bristling with weapons and an amused Dumbledore calmly explaining that yes, ghosts did exist and no, they were not dangerous).

Sakumo, on the other hand, had the misfortune of being subject to the tender mercies of the castle poltergeist, a not-quite-ghost by the name of Peeves. The sight of the small, solid poltergeist soon became enough to give Sakumo a headache, and the only thing that prevented him from arranging an "accident" that would forever rid the castle of the nuisance was the fact that he didn't think the client would like to find a resident mysteriously missing.

But after the fifth time he had failed to dodge one of the water balloons aimed at his head, Sakumo had had enough. He gave the poltergeist something to remember him with in the form of a genjutsu, depicting…well, all you need to know was that it included rainbows, toads, a dragon, Sarutobi, and interpretive dance, and was enough to give most people nightmares for months afterwards, that is if they didn't succumb to a heart attack first (the same genjutsu had also been used by the Torture and Interrogation squad in their sessions).

He left Peeves floating around with a look of abject horror on his face, feeling only slightly guilty, and that was because of the fact he wasn't completely sure that the mission briefing didn't include anything on mental torture.

Needless to say, Peeves made himself scarce after that.

Sakumo made sure to visit Hagrid, whom he found to be a cheerful man, helpful to a fault. Not to mention as big as a house and a horrible cook (Sakumo had politely declined one of his sandwiches because it had smelled of something that definitely _wasn't_ ham). At least the larger man didn't think that there was anything wrong with Kakashi's presence, especially after the boy made his friendly acquaintance with Hagrid's dog (who was really a gentle thing, despite its namesake, and seemed to have an affinity for children).

The only teacher they had yet to meet was professor Lupin, the one who would be arriving with the students on the train. Dumbledore had informed him of the newest teacher's special "condition", and, frankly, Sakumo had no idea what to make of it. Yes, he knew that the Inuzuka had a technique that would allow their nin-dogs to assume human shape, but for someone to turn into a wolf only on days of the full moon…it sounded a lot like superstitious nonsense.

But then again, the world of these wizards was so much different from his own, so he supposed anything was possible here. Such as ghosts and magic.

* * *

The day before the start of the term, Sakumo met another obstacle in his mission. The arrival of the obstacle was announced by Dumbledore, who summoned Sakumo, along with the rest of the staff, to the staff room that morning in order to discuss "an issue concerning the castle's security". As soon as he saw the client's grave expression, Sakumo knew that there was definitely something wrong. His ninja senses tingled, sending emergency messages to his brain (and he knew better than to ignore his ninja senses like a certain other white-haired ninja).

And, as always, his ninja senses were correct.

"The Ministry of Magic," Dumbledore announced, "Has decided, in light of certain events concerning a dangerous escapee from Azkaban, that Hogwarts needs more security."

Sakumo frowned, wasn't he security enough? It was considered rude for the client to hire other ninjas or mercenaries for the same mission without prior consent. But the jonin kept silent, waiting for the client to explain himself.

"And unfortunately, we have no choice in the matter."

Ah. So that was why. Sakumo wondered briefly what the "Ministry of Magic" was, since it obviously had authority over the school. A government establishment, perhaps?

"And their chosen form of 'protection',"—Sakumo could hear the irritation in the old man's voice; apparently Dumbledore didn't think very highly of this ministry—"is to send Dementors to patrol the school and Hogsmede."

A murmur of disapproving shock rippled through the teachers gathered. Sakumo had no idea who or what "Dementors" were, but he did know that Hogsmede was the wizarding village near the school. But if the angry mutterings of the teachers, even Snape, were anything to go by, they were _not_ pleasant people. Or creatures.

Not surprisingly, McGonagall was the first to voice her opinion. "You can't be serious!" her voice was shrill with anger, and her eyes flashed in a way that was eerily reminiscent of Tsunade (in other words, whoever dared to object would be met with a fist in the face or a particularly nasty spell), "Dementors in a school full of children! The consequences could be disastrous, I will _not_ allow it!"

Dumbledore let out a long-suffering sigh, "Regardless, Minerva, the Ministry has made the final decision, and failure to comply would undoubtedly cause—"

McGonagall's face darkened, her expression turning positively murderous. Sakumo would not have been surprised if she suddenly raised her hand and punched out one of the solid stone walls of the castle. Dumbledore paused, and the other teachers held their breaths, waiting for the blow to fall.

Sensing the tension, Sakumo wisely decided to steer the topic in a safer direction. He cleared his throat, putting on a carefully neutral facial expression, "Um," his expression did not change, even as all eyes (including the heated gaze of one deputy headmistress) turned to him, "Forgive my ignorance, but what exactly are 'Dementors'?"

A long pause.

"You don't _know_?" Snape's voice, complete with the audible sneer and dripping contempt, broke the awkwardness.

Sakumo tried not to clutch his wand too tightly, especially when he felt the wood start to splinter beneath his grip, because he did not want to bother Dumbledore to get him a new one. Thankfully, McGonagall hurried to explain, sending a stern glare in the direction of her colleague.

The way she described them (using phrases such as 'gruesome fiends', 'harbingers of despair' and 'soul-sucking abominations' while insinuating that they would 'scar the students' minds' and 'greatly disrupt the peaceful school atmosphere'), Sakumo had the impression that Dementors were a race of non-human, evil, demonic, soul-eating, mind-scarring creatures of darkness.

He frowned, wondering why anyone would choose things like that for protection, let alone of a bunch of schoolchildren. The thought of Kakashi being near a Dementor sent an unpleasant feeling down his spine, especially after McGonagall's comments on the adverse effects of their presence on children.

"They aren't that evil, Minerva." Dumbledore said, but anyone could hear that his protest was half-hearted at best, "And the ministry had agreed to forbid them from coming inside the school grounds." McGonagall did not look convinced, and nor did most of the other teachers, including, to Sakumo's surprise, Snape.

"This is not a discussion," the headmaster decided that it was time to bring the meeting to a close, "The Ministry has made its final decision, and we have no choice to accept. I would like to remind you all that despite the…setback, students' education still has to be carried out. Your responsibility is to teach, and the protection is not your main priority. Now, considering that the new semester starts tomorrow, I imagine that you all have preparations to finish."

The dismissal in his voice was clear, and the staff members left, grumbling discontentedly under their breaths but not daring to voice their opinions out loud. Sakumo, however, remained where he was, standing with his hands crossed until all the teachers were gone, leaving him the only person in the staff room.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, though he didn't look surprised, "Mr. Hatake. I assume you want to discuss the…ah, alteration in security?"

Sakumo nodded, crossing his arms and leaning back on the doorway idly as if to say "go on".

"I assure you that the Dementors will not greatly affect your duties, as they will be stationed only outside the school and in Hogsmede, and your…charge will stay in the castle most of the time." Dumbledore explained, "Think of it as…extra defensive measures."

"What I don't understand," Sakumo drawled lazily, though the look in his eyes was far from it, "Is why you need me when you already have these 'Dementors' to protect your students. It seems to me that they would be enough to keep Black out of your castle."

The barb in his words was more than obvious, but to his credit, Dumbledore only paused for a few moments in surprise. A half-pensive, half-amused expression appeared on the old man's face, "Hatake-san…do you resent my decision to bring them into this?"

"Yes." The reply was quick and matter-of-factly. A slight moment later, Sakumo added, "Shinobi don't appreciate unasked for help."

Dumbledore quirked an eyebrow, "Then perhaps I should explain it more clearly. You are not being replaced; I need your help because the dementors are not going to stop Black."

Sakumo raised an eyebrow, "Explain."

"You don't know this, but dementors are also used to guard a prison, the only wizarding prison, Azkaban. The exact prison that Black escaped from."

"So therefore he must have some way to evade them?" Sakumo finished.

Dumbledore smiled, nodding appreciatively, "Exactly."

The ninja was quiet for a few seconds, his expression unreadable. An atmosphere of apprehension settled over the two occupants of the room, though both were too experienced to show anything on their faces. Finally…"Fine." Sakumo shrugged, seemingly nonchalant, "I'll continue with the mission. But next time please notify me beforehand of…extra help." _Or there won't be a time after that._

"Of course." the headmaster replied cheerfully (as if he didn't understand the gravity of the situation, Sakumo noticed with slight exasperation), "Deal?"

"Deal." The shinobi sighed. There was no intimidating someone as…happy-go-lucky as this client. "I have some last minute preparations to complete," He added, stepping out of the staff room door, "In light of the new development." And with that he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Behind him, Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "It seems," he murmured to himself with a thoughtful smile, "That things are going to be much more interesting this year…"

* * *

"Ne, Tou-san, can I come?"

Sakumo looked down to see dark eyes staring pleadingly up at him. It was almost too much. Almost. Somehow, he managed to resist the urge to say nod (such a simple movement, his mind told him, it would be so easy just to…) "Sorry, Kakashi." He said instead, feeling like a jerk (or, in Kakashi's words, a "meanie-head").

"Why?" Kakashi's childish voice was filled with righteous indignation ingeniously mixed with pathetic disappointment, specially tailored to make anyone who heard it cringe in guilt.

Sakumo did not cringe, mostly because he had was too busy trying to figure out how to put on the piece of dark cloth in his hand that passed as clothing. Because, you see, though he had been supplied with the appropriate wizarding garments, he had, in a sudden lapse of genius (or maybe just from inability to face the embarrassment of having to ask a colleague), forgotten to inquire how to actually put it on. In addition, the robe that he now held was the most complicated (and therefore most extravagant) of all his clothes.

Currently, he was trying to figure out how all the buttons fit together (Did that one go in the first loop or the second? And wait, why is there an extra button?). Shinobi though he was, he had never learned this sort of thing in his training as a ninja (because no self-respecting shinobi would wear something as…complicated as this).

"Because," he explained to the pouting boy, (finally grasping the first button and looping it triumphantly through the first buttonhole), "It's a really formal event. You won't like it."

"I still wanna go!" Kakashi insisted, puppy-dog eyes turned on full blast.

"You'll have to sit still all evening." Sakumo continued, finding that it was much easier to button his robes now that he had the first few down, "And you won't be able to talk. And there will only be boring grown-ups and noisy older children…besides, you have food here as well." He pointed to the plate of sandwiches on the table.

"But…I wanna go!" Kakashi repeated, his pout turning into a scowl that was strangely serious for a child, "You just don't want them to see me and think that you're un-respons-ble."

This time, Sakumo did cringe, because what Kakashi said was not entirely off-target. _Why does he have to be so smart…_Sakumo sighed, looking up from the last button, "Kakashi," he started.

The boy crossed his arms, "Fine." He muttered, scowl deepening, "I'll stay."

Sakumo blinked; it was not often that his son gave up, and even more rarely so easily. And the fact that he wouldn't meet Sakumo's eyes…there was definitely something fishy about it all. And then Kakashi looked up, or rather glared up, and stuck out his tongue, before turning away pointedly. "Meanie."

_So that's how it is…_Sakumo sighed, standing up. "Sorry, kid." He apologized, ruffling Kakashi's silvery hair, _I'll make it up somehow._

He looked back as the door swung shut behind him, and he thought he saw, for a fleeting second, a familiar, devious expression on Kakashi's face that promised trouble. But then he realized that he was going to be late for the welcoming banquet with all the time he spent figuring out his robes, "Crap, I can't be late today of all days."

His pace quickened, heading in the direction of the Great Hall.

* * *

Sakumo barely arrived in time, slipping into his seat (two seats to the right of the headmaster, Trelawney to his left and Flitwick to his right) to the disapproving looks of many of his co-workers and a particularly nasty glare from Snape (which he longed to counter with a death-glare of his own that was sure to sent the obnoxious annoyance under the table whimpering in fear).

But the shinobi's attention was quickly distracted by the sight of the Great Hall. Though he had seen it before during his tour of the school, this was the first time he had seen the Great Hall in its full glory. And it was indeed a sight to behold. The air was bright with the light of a thousand candles, seemingly floating in midair above the heads of the students, and the ceiling was a dark sable color, lit only by the pinpoints of starlight scattered like diamond dust.

It did not escape his notice that there was a newcomer at the table, a middle-aged man with worn robes, graying hair and tired eyes. _He must be the new teacher Dumbledore mentioned,_ Sakumo thought, throwing a discreet glance towards the newcomer, _Lupin, or something. _Speaking of the newcomer, Sakumo also noticed the glares that Snape was throwing the poor guy. It seemed as if the hook-nosed teacher hated the newcomer more than he resented the shinobi.

The corner of his mouth twitched; this night was turning out to be more interesting than he anticipated. But, of course, this was just the appetizer for the excitement tonight, the main course was yet to come.

As if on cue, the deep groaning of the two large wooden front doors filled the Great Hal, announcing the arrival of the students. Sakumo's smile turned into a grin as he felt the long-anticipated excitement bubbling up inside him.

_Finally…_

_Mission Start!_

TBC


	5. New Counselor and New Troubles

**Title: Wizards and Puppies**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and Harry Potter, but I do own a desire not to be sued.

Summary: It was supposed to be a simple mission, to protect a school of children. The only thing Sakumo worried about was leaving his son Kakashi at home. What he didn't count on was the stubbornness of a three-year-old prodigy.

Author's Note: Gomen! Sorry for the reaaalllly long wait! I think I'm over a month overdue, but it's been a busy past couple of weeks, with summer ending and school starting, and the fact that I got sick this week and my computer crashed (but I fortunately saved everything, or mostly everything) and stuff like that. Not to mention the fact that I've been obsessed recently with the awesomeness that is One Piece. I even started writing a fic for that, but rest assured, this one is will still be my priority!

By the way, guess what? 100 reviews! Exactly! I love you all, cyber cookies for everyone!

And with the excuses and appreciation for reviews out of the way, here's the thing you've all been waiting for!

* * *

Chapter Four: New Counselor and New Troubles

Harry Potter was not in a good mood as he waited outside the hospital wing. Just because he had fainted (no, a part of him protested, it was more like a lapse in consciousness than a faint), the teachers felt it necessary for him to go get checked up. It was as if he were some easily-broken package marked with the big letters "FRAGILE! This side up!" and had to be carefully inspected for dents after every bump. The feeling was starting to get annoying.

Idly, he wondered if the new Defense teacher was up for the job. He had looked exhausted on the train, and if a mere train-ride was enough to drain him, Harry was sure he wouldn't last a month, let alone the whole year.

As he considered this, he felt, with the inborn intuition that all humans have, a pair of eyes watching him. Turning quickly, he managed to catch sight of a flash of white disappearing around the corner, despite the dim light of the hallways.

His interest was piqued.

All the ghosts were presumably at the welcoming feast, and even if one or two of them had grown tired of the festives, it was not like a ghost to use the hallways instead of floating through the walls. But apart from a ghost, Harry could think of nothing else that was that same silvery-white color as the blur he had just seen.

And, being the thirteen-year-old, curious, oblivious teenager that he was, he knew that he would not be able to rest without getting to the bottom of it. But still, he hesitated, glancing back at the closed door of the hospital wing, not without a tiny amount of guilt. Professor McGonagall and Hermione would merely assume he had gone to the feast without them, he assured himself, and that was where he would go, as soon as he figured out this mystery.

So, his doubts assuaged, the Boy-Who-Lived set out towards the place of the white blur.

It would only take a second, after all.

* * *

After turning the corner for what seemed like the millionth time, Kakashi realized that he was seriously frustrated. But he wasn't lost. Of this fact he was sure, since as a rule ninjas never got lost and he was sure he had seen that suit of armor before, or that statue of another strange-looking person.

He had memorized the way the old man had led them on the way to the Great Hall during the tour of the school, and he had taken the exact same staircase—third on the left—that the old man had taken them down, but he wasn't so sure that it had ended up on this floor, with all these unfamiliar landmarks.

Okay, so maybe he wasn't quite a ninja yet.

But, Kakashi remembered not without a bit of pride, he had been good enough to escape from the older boy he had seen without being detected. Which was a good thing, since he was not supposed to be outside of the room at the moment.

Now, if he could only find this Great Hall place where everyone was supposed to be eating.

As if to urge him to hurry on, his stomach growled in protest. Kakashi was starting to regret not eating of the sandwiches that his father had left for him on the plate. But he had been in a hurry to go, and had carelessly assumed that he would be able to find the dinner hall easily. Another mistake, he realized with a disgruntled feeling; shinobi should be prepared for the worst at all times. But, as he was soon to find out, it was the least of his troubles.

"Hey!" the sound of someone's voice shocked Kakashi into jumping a bit into the air—because he was surprised, not scared!—and giving a small yelp (of surprise) before spinning around abruptly. He found himself looking wide-eyed at the offender, an older boy with unruly dark hair and bright green eyes framed with glasses; the same boy that he had just avoided, or at least he thought he had.

"What are you doing here, kid?" the boy demanded, walking up to the child, "This school is for students, not toddlers."

Kakashi knew very well what 'toddlers' meant, and he bristled at the comment. "I'm _not_ a baby!" he snapped, no longer, ahem, _surprised_.

"So how old are you?"

"Three."

"Three _is_ a toddler!" insisted Harry.

"Is not!"

"Is too."

"Is not!"

"Is too."

"Not!"

"Why am I even arguing this?" Harry broke off with an exasperated sigh, "Look, kid—"

But he was not the only one who had had enough. Sticking out his tongue at the 'meanie-head' older boy, Kakashi decided it was time to retreat. Thankfully, he had the foresight to bring along some of his father's 'borrowed' equipment. A puff of thick smoke later, Harry was left staring at the empty space which had been previously occupied by a three-year-old, white-haired kid.

He blinked in surprise, and then looked up, just in time to see a flash of white disappear around the corner.

* * *

Hermione slipped into a seat beside Ron just as Dumbledore was about to start the customary annual welcoming speech. "Where were you?" he whispered as she sat down, "And where's Harry? And did you see the new—"

"What do you mean where's Harry?" she interrupted in a whisper, "He was gone when I finished talking to the Professor. I thought he went ahead without me."

Ron shrugged, "Nope. Haven't seen him."

The brunette's eyebrows drew together in a frown. It was not like Harry to miss something as important as the start-of-the-year feast, which meant he had been delayed by something. And knowing her friend's tendency to attract all kinds of misfortune, usually in the shape of bloodthirsty monsters or insane murderers, it was probably something troublesome.

"Don't worry." Ron reassured her, as if sensing her discomfort, "What could possibly happen?"

At that moment, Dumbledore stood up, immediately commanding the attention of all the students and staff. "Welcome!" he started, "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts!"

Hermione half-listened as the headmaster explained the presence of the dementors, vaguely remembering reading about them in one of the books she had read for extra-curricular entertainment. Some part of her brain had a slight glimmer of hope that this would stop Ron and Harry would from going on nightly excursions to dangerous places, but she doubted it. And then a few words caught her attention.

"—welcome three new additions to our staff this year."

There was applause among the audience, and she clapped too, exchanging looks with Ron. Both wondered what two new positions needed to be filled—Defense Against the Dark Arts aside.

"First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

The one who stood up to receive the little applause that the students gave was the man whom Ron and Hermione had seen in their compartment, still dressed in shabby clothes. Both she and Ron clapped hard, remembering how he had helped them with the dementors.

The next announcement, that Hagrid would become the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher, came as a surprise, but not a bad one. In fact, the entire Gryffindor table was practically beaming with happiness.

But the final addition to the staff caught them all unawares. Hermione noticed, for the first time, that there was a second new face, apart from Professor Lupin's, at the table and wondered why she hadn't noticed sooner. He was a young man, no older than his mid-twenties, yet with a head of hair white enough and long enough to rival Dumbledore's beard. Though dressed in the same robes as all the teachers, he looked strangely uncomfortable with his attire. That, coupled with his hair color and obviously forced smile, made him stand out like a sore thumb when he stood up.

"Who is he?" Hermione whispered to Ron. It was the same question several people were asking around her. Her redheaded friend shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine."

"And finally," Dumbledore introduced with a flourish, "I would like to introduce Professor Hatake, the new student counselor of Hogwarts."

* * *

Sakumo had the strangest feeling all evening. It was like the tingly sense of unease when his ninja senses were telling him something big was about to happen. But he was sure nothing could possibly go wrong on the first day of school, especially since the dementors were guarding the main gate and he had posted his faithful nin-dogs at all other possible entrances (the headmaster had been kind enough to provide a map containing the secret passages too).

Still, the feeling would not go away, and he felt himself unable to sit still for long over dinner, twitching nervously at the smallest of surprises.

During the "sorting ceremony", he had almost leapt out of his seat when the hat started to sing and was only stopped by the observation that none of the teachers or students seemed to find it unusual, and the fact that it would have seemed extremely strange for him to turn a hat into a porcupine with his kunai merely because it wanted to sing.

And when Dumbledore stood up for the welcoming speech, introducing Lupin, Hagrid and him, he had to force himself to give the students a welcoming smile. Of course, his unusual hair color and choice of style for said hair drew glances and whispers, but Sakumo was used to it and had absolutely refused to cut it or dye it.

Anyways. When he had stood up to greet the students, otherwise known as his future charges, the feeling that had been on the periphery of his mind all evening suddenly intensified. Something was going to happen soon, he knew it as well as he knew the sky was blue and that it had something to do with Kakashi.

His ninja senses were practically yelling at him that his mischievous white-haired son would come bursting in any moment now.

And he was right, just wrong in how it actually happened.

**

* * *

**

Kakashi had barely turned the corner when he was confronted with a sight that was, well, unusual to say the least. It was a short, squat man with a pinched face and pointed ears, and wearing a belled jester's hat and a mischievous smile. In short, he was ugly, and the orange bow-tie did nothing to improve his looks. But the most surprising aspect about him was probably the fact that he was floating about a foot above the ground.

"What do we have here? A poor lost little child." Peeves cackled mockingly. "Looking for your daddy?"

The boy scowled. "Shut up."

"Tsk, tsk, such dirty language!" Peeves taunted, "What would daddy say?"

Kakashi, who had learned said dirty language from his father, didn't reply.

"Too scared without your father to protect you?" the poltergeist, seeing the boy's lack of reaction, was a bit peeved. At the last comment, Kakashi's eyes narrowed. He could allow Peeves to say that he was lost, which wasn't completely false, but he was a _shinobi_, and shinobi were _never_ scared! Saying so would be a dishonor to his pride as a (future) ninja!

Such disrespect, in the naïve eyes of the child, warranted punishment, and a punishment in true shinobi style. Kakashi made as if to dart past the poltergeist, who tried to stop him, "Ah, ah, don't run away—"

And was abruptly halted mid-sentence as a kunai flew straight between his eyes. But with Peeves being a ghost, of sorts, the weapon merely flew through his head and bounced off the opposite wall, leaving he poltergeist unharmed*. Peeves froze, for a moment, unused to having sharp, pointy objects lobbed at his head. If anyone had looked at the moment, they would have seen the rare and unusual sight of a severely shocked and speechless Peeves wearing a look that suggested he had just seen an orangutan waltz by. And Kakashi froze, not used to having his weapons go _through_ people instead of into them, looking like he had just seen a purple-spotted giraffe.

The first one to become unfrozen was Peeves who was, after all, a resident of Hogwarts and used to strange things happening in his vicinity. And the first thing he did was to grab Kakashi's ankle, and rise up to the ceiling, leaving the boy suspended upside-down in the air.

Kakashi, seemingly over his shock, pouted, blowing his upturned hair out of his eyes. "Not fair!" he protested, sticking out his tongue.

"Naughty, naughty!" Peeves scolded mockingly, "Didn't your father ever tell you to stay away from dangerous weapons?"

"Let go!" Kakashi kicked his feet in an attempt to get free, but to no avail. Peeves held on fast. "You know," the poltergeist said, with a look on his face that gave Kakashi a very bad feeling, "I have a score to settle with your daddy. And now seems about the right time to settle it!"

And before the boy could even raise an objection, Peeves flew off in the direction of the great hall, cackling madly.

Merely a few seconds later, a certain Boy-Who-Lived peered around the corner, looking very confused. He could have sworn that he had heard voices in this direction just seconds before, but the hallway was completely empty.

"Weird…" he muttered, and then realized that he would miss the welcoming speech. Cursing, with all thoughts of the boy out of his mind for the moment, he started to sprint in the direction of the Great Hall.

He never noticed the small, metal kunai that lay at the foot of the wall, the only indication that something out of the ordinary had happened there.

* * *

Halfway through the welcoming speech, an interruption in the form of indignant shouts drew the attention of the student body and staff. The only two people who weren't surprised seemed to be Dumbledore and the new counselor.

The latter, who recognized the voice very well, found that it was all he could do to stop from cringing and diving under the table to hide. He sent a glare towards the former for looking way too amused. But with things as they were, the most he could do was pray it was nothing too embarrassing.

The doors of the Entrance Hall flew open, and in flew Peeves, dangling a blur of white and laughing madly, or at least more madly than usual. Sakumo blinked, slightly surprised. The school poltergeist had not been a part of his expectations. Nevertheless, the white blur, now revealed to be a boy no older than three with white hair that looked startling familiar.

"Meanie!" shouted the boy, swiping desperately at Peeves, only to have his hand pass through the poltergeist.

"Nope, won't work." Peeves taunted.

"Let go!"

"As you wish." Peeves grinned widely, and the boy realized his mistake. He was currently suspended several meters above the ground, and the only thing that kept him from falling was the grip on his ankle. And, now his mind was working quickly, if said grip loosened, the inevitable outcome would be—

"AHHH!"

As Peeves made his hasty retreat from a high window, a Great Hall full of students and staff watched in horror as the speck of white plummeted towards the Ravenclaw table. It seemed unavoidable that the boy would land quite painfully amongst the plates of food that were, though delicious, completely unsuited to break a fall.

At the critical moment of life-and-death, when all the teachers had drawn their wands but were too slow to cast any spells yet, when it seemed like the Ravenclaws would not be able to enjoy the scrumptious food lain out in front of them, the boy's plunge was abruptly intercepted, midair, by another blur of black and white.

The students' eyes all followed this new development with eager excitement. Several later claimed that they had the impression of a watching a muggle form of entertainment that consisted of moving pictures depicting improbable events on flat screens (the entertainment was called a "movie", and the medium, a "television").

What actually happened was also a subject of hot debate in the following days. Some maintained that the new counselor had suddenly whipped out a broomstick seemingly out of nowhere and shot up in the air to catch the falling boy. Others declared that he had Apparated, all Hogwarts anti-Apparation spells disregarded. And still others asserted that he had _jumped_, twenty or so feet in the air, like some ninja from a muggle story book, done some mid-air aerobatics and somehow landed safely without a single hair out of place.

Whatever happened, the next thing the students knew was that the new counselor, Professor Hatake, was standing firmly on the staff table, one foot next to Professor Flitwick's hand and the other, through a remarkable twist of coincidence, right on Professor Snape's platter.

The boy, with his eyes squeezed shut and hands thrown out in front of his face, as if bracing himself for the impact that never came, cracked open an eye. Once he was sure he would not land in any painful way, he put his hands down, smiling sheepishly up at the new counselor.

There was a moment of silence, as if the school was struggling to comprehend what had just happened. The shocked silence was broken, however, by the arrival of another surprise. The doors to the entrance hall swung open again, discreetly but still loud in the silence. A head crowned with dark, messy hair poked inside, and assumed a confused expression as it was met with silence.

"Um, did I just miss something important?" asked Harry Potter.

That seemed to break the spell, and all of a sudden there was a loud cheer, initiated by a pair of redheaded twins on the Gryffindor table. Like a contagious wave, the applause spread through the whole Great Hall, with each student cheering for the red-faced, flushing counselor and the beaming child still in his arms. Everyone seemed to be amazed and impressed, as children were wont to be, by something Sakumo thought was really not that extraordinary.

Down among the Gryffindors, a certain Ron Weasly was clapping vigorously. "Whoever he is," He commented to Hermione, raising his voice to be heard over the appreciative din, "He's bloody _awesome_."

* * *

TBC

*I have no idea how accurate this is, but for the sake of the plot, let's just say that Peeves is a ghost of sorts and things can pass through him. How he can still touch solid objects is up for the reader to decide.


	6. First Day is the Hardest

**Title: Wizards and Puppies**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and Harry Potter, but I do own a desire not to be suedS

Summary: It was supposed to be a simple mission, to protect a school of children. The only thing Sakumo worried about was leaving his son Kakashi at home. What he didn't count on was the stubbornness of a three-year-old prodigy.

Author's Note: I am so so so so sorry for the not posting this sooner, and I know I haven't been active for a while (a whole semester! *cringe*). I can explain. The explanation is that my computer broke and then the flash drive I saved this story on broke, and I lost interest for a while, and school started and all that stuff. But I finally finished this chapter and decided to post it.

Future chapters may be a bit irregular too, though I'll try to keep it more periodic. For now though, here's chapter five.

* * *

Chapter Five: First Day is the Hardest

It is a notable and natural phenomenon that anything which stands apart from the ordinary routine of life is often accompanied by rumors of all sorts, some benign and others not so much. This observation proves true more times than not, especially in a school full of imaginative students.

On the first day of school, there was only one thing on everyone's mind: the new Counselor. Rumors about Professor Hatake were flying around, from reports that he was a martial artist from China, here to hone his skills (though why a martial artist would want to spend his days counseling children was a detail casually overlooked) to whisperings that he had been involved in a magical accident sometime in his life, which allegedly accounted for his strange hair color and unusual abilities.

Or maybe he was a whole new species of undiscovered magical creature here under the pretense of counseling so that the school could keep an eye on him.

As for the child that Peeves had unceremoniously dropped in the Great Hall, well, no one was quite sure what to think of him. Dumbledore had introduced him as Kakashi, Sakumo's son who had accompanied his father to Hogwarts because of familial problems, but few people believed the cover. The student body was actually debating on whether to think of him as the martial artist's illegitimate child, here to hide from a murderous, kung-fu wielding spouse, or as an elf-child, here to be observed as well.

The fervor did not fail to reach the trio sitting at the Gryffindor table for breakfast. And the fact that Professor Hatake was not present for breakfast that morning did nothing to quell the flood of gossip, and in fact added new stories of how he actually ate human souls, or was it frog legs, for breakfast. (Neville paled at the last suggestion, and then started to search for Trevor with a renewed urgency.)

"What do you think, Harry?" asked Ron eagerly, looking unusually bright-eyed and excited.

His friend shrugged, "I dunno. I didn't actually see much." It came out a bit more bitter than he had intended; he was still sore about missing the highlight of the previous evening. The only thing he had seen when he entered the Great Hall, fashionably late, as Hermione had euphemized it, was the new teacher standing on the staff table and looking incredibly embarrassed. His disappointment was only alleviated by the fact that he was the only one to have actually talked to the white-haired boy.

"Personally," Ron continued as if he hadn't heard, "I think that he's actually a spy from the-"

"Honestly, you two." Hermione huffed from next to him, interrupting his speculation, "Can't you leave the poor man alone? I think he has enough to deal with already."

"Come on, 'Mione. You're the smart one. You've _got_ to have your own ideas of what he's actually doing here!"

"Hasn't it ever occurred to you that maybe he's just here to counsel the students?"

Ron frowned, "Why are you always such a wet blanket?"

Whatever reply Hermione might have had remained unvoiced, as the schedules arrived for the year. Hermione seized hers immediately, scanning it eagerly, "Oh, good, we're starting some new subjects today."

"Hermione," said Ron, looking over her shoulder, "they've messed up your schedule."

She waved him off, saying, "Don't worry, I'll manage."

Harry poked at his breakfast absentmindedly as the two got into a slight verbal scuffle about the inconsistencies in Hermione's schedule and turned at the sound another disturbance a few seats down where George had overturned a cup of orange juice onto his lap with a curse.

He thought back to the previous night, when he arrived late to the feast. Everyone had stared at him, true, but the counselor especially. Maybe it was just him, but Professor Hatake's eyes had gone wide when he saw Harry, and Harry thought he saw recognition in them. But he was sure he had never met the counselor before—he surely would have remembered. Still, he had a strange feeling about the newest addition to their school.

In the end, it was Hagrid's arrival to the Great Hall that pulled Harry out of his thoughts, and he dismissed them as paranoia and his celebrity in the wizarding world.

"All righ'?" the Gamekeeper and now Care of Magical Creatures teacher greeted them, sounding exceptionally happy. "Bin getting' everythin' ready fer the lesson." He said, grinning widely under his beard, before continuing to the staff table.

"Wonder what he's been getting ready." Wondered Ron, not sounding too excited. His friends didn't blame him; Hagrid was notorious for having a love of dangerous creatures under the belief that they were "cute".

"We'd better go to our first class now." Said Hermione. Indeed, the Great Hall was beginning to empty as students left for classes, so the three friends rose as well.

"First lesson is Divination." Announced Harry, glancing down at his schedule, "It's in the North Tower. That's at least ten minutes from here…"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Hermione grabbed both of the boys and started off towards the stairs, "Do you want to be late?"

* * *

The first day of school was nerve wrenching for a certain shinobi-slash-unwilling-counselor. Sakumo had been trained to withstand battle, torture, hunger, wounds, almost everything except, well, _this_. Students. Children. The two words were a nightmare, the kind that fell into the category of wake-up-and-sigh-in-relief-because-this-could-never-happen dreams. Except that his current predicament was very real.

The knock the door to his office startled him since he had not sensed anyone approaching. Sakumo berated himself mentally; he had been too nervous and engrossed in his own thoughts. Another mistake to add to the list, along with agreeing to this cursed mission in the first place.

"Come in." he said. To his credit, his voice was not as tense as he felt. The door opened, and two people walked in. Sakumo blinked, thinking that maybe the stress had gotten to his head already, since he appeared to be seeing double. Two identical teenage boys, both with hair red enough to be on fire, and both with the same mischievous smiles on their faces stood before him.

"Professor Hatake!" one of the boys cried, sounding as if they were old friends instead of complete strangers, "How have you been doing."

"Er, I'm fine, thank you, Mr…"

"Weasley." The boy second boy supplied, still smiling. "I'm Fred and he's George, though feel free to call us either. Sometimes even we can't tell us apart."

"Thank you Mr. Weasely." Sakumo finished. He was now seriously confused as to the purpose of the two boys. Normal teenagers, he was sure, did not like to associate with teachers (or at least he hadn't when he was at the academy, preferring the company of other boys his age who would understand his hormone-induced ramblings), especially new teachers with strange appearances. But whatever they had planned, he had a foreboding feeling about it. "May I ask why you two are here? If I'm not mistaken, you have your first period class in less than five minutes."

Not the best impression, sure, but Sakumo knew better than to distrust his instincts that had yet to disappoint him.

The not-so blatant dismissal was promptly waved away with a careless gesture of the left twin's hand. That one was Fred, who smelled of strawberry jam from breakfast. The other, who smelled of spilled orange juice, then, was George. Both of them reeked of magic and mischief.

"There's plenty of time between now and then, no?" Fred said with a shrug, "And even if we were late, what's a bit of tardiness compared to the quality bonding time between teacher and student?"

Sakumo coughed to suppress an amused snort at the last comment, "As your counselor," he pointed out, trying keep his voice as level and reasonable as possible, "I believe it is my duty to advise against tardiness."

This comment caught Fred unawares, as he clearly was not thinking of Sakumo as a teacher of sorts. The confident expression on his face faded a bit, and the white-haired councilor suppressed the small feeling of triumph. Sakumo one, twins zero.

"But Professor, is it not your even greater duty to get to know your students well so that you can find the best advice for them?" George quickly spoke up, saving his brother from an awkward silence.

Ah, of course. There were two of them.

"Quite, but I believe in fairness, and therefore I believe that you should give those who are not so…lax with the rules a fair chance to garner my attention." Sakumo replied slyly. "And besides, I believe that you would like to get that stain off your robes; it must be uncomfortable walking around with orange juice on your pants."

This time, George was stunned into silence, unconsciously feeling the wet patch on his robes which had indeed had an unfortunate encounter with the contents of his goblet. The counselor grinned, Sakumo: two, twins: zero.

"Now, I believe this would be an appropriate time to end this meaningless conversation." Sakumo finished, crossing his arms in a way that made it very clear that it was indeed over.

The twins both mumbled something akin to an excuse and quickly vacated the room, leaving only a grinning Sakumo in a content silence.

* * *

Harry never knew a day could be so long.

It all started, he mused, with the Divination class that morning. Frankly, he regretted having chosen that class, since prophecies of his death were not exactly the things he wanted to wake up to every day. This particular prophesy had overshadowed even the arrival of the new teacher, becoming the latest talk of the Gryffindor house.

But Harry did not have time to dwell on the thoughts of batty Divination teachers and Grims in teacups. Especially when he was faced with an even greater…challenge, one that went by the name of Care of Magical Creatures classes.

The events of the morning had distracted him and kept him from feeling anxious about the lesson in the afternoon, but now the anxiety had returned full force. One glance towards his left and right told him that his two friends felt the same way he did.

All three of them knew Hagrid very well after two years of visiting his cabin weekly. However, their familiarity with the game-keeper and now teacher was the reason that they felt so nauseous. Because they knew he was a great person and all, but that did not mean he would be a good teacher, especially for a class in a field in which he had such…unbridled interest.

Harry did not know why their old friend had led the class to this large enclosure, but judging from the fact that it was extremely close to the Forbidden Forest and the loud rustling noise coming from the direction in which Hargrid had just disappeared, he doubted that it would be anything for beginners. After all, "Somethin' interestin'," from Hagrid's point of view meant something big and scary and capable of disemboweling an unfortunate student with razor-sharp claws.

"Please don't let it be a dragon." He heard Ron whisper under his breath, and silently echoed the prayer in his own mind.

As the last syllable faded from his brain, Hargrid emerged from the foilage, panting slightly but grinning wide enough that it seemed his mouth would split his face in half.

He was leading a dozen creatures, presumably the subject of their first class. Creatures that fit Hagrid's definition of "interestin'" to the letter.

Harry felt himself go a bit pale. His only thought was, _Well, at least they aren't dragons_.

* * *

Kakashi was bored.

He had finished practicing his kata that morning as usual, and his father was busy with his mission (which was from now on, at the prompting of Sakumo, referred to as "the job"), and had dismissed Kakashi with a muttered suggestion to go sit in a class. But mundane things such as classes, even magical ones, were not enough to keep his attention for long, and his father's nin-dogs were too busy patrolling the school grounds to play with him, which left the young ninja near tears with boredom.

So it was not completely illogical that when he caught sight of a large group of people walking down on the grounds, led by the largest man he had ever seen, Kakashi's first impulse was to follow. If this had been several years from now, he might have thought a bit before rushing off towards something unknown, but the art of caution was lost on the three-year-old.

With a gleeful grin pasted on his face, he leapt out of the first-story window (pretending that he was a super-awesome ANBU member), and started to make his way across the lawn.

* * *

"These beauties here are Hippogriffs." Hagrid introduced, smiling broadly.

After the initial shock of seeing so many of them, Harry had to admit that they did have a certain beauty about them, albeit a fierce, perfect-killing-machine type of beauty. The Hippogriffs were bizarre-looking creatures, with the bodies, hind legs, and tails of horses, groomed sleek and shiny. Their front halves, on the other hand, were giant eagles, with cruel, steel-colored beaks and uncanny orange eyes filled with intelligence beyond that of mere beasts. The talons on their front legs were razor sharp and over half a foot long.

Hagrid started to explain the steps to approach a Hippogriff, instructing them to bow respectfully before proceeding, and Harry had the sinking feeling in his stomach again. If Hagrid was telling them what to do to get close, then that could only mean…

"Alrigh', so who wants to go first?"

A profound silence filled the air. Not a single student spoke, though more than a few eyed the Hippogriffs warily, as if they might suddenly go berserk at any moment. The wide grin on Hagrid's face, wide at first, faded until it was no more than an uneasy smile.

"I will!"

The voice was too high, too childish to be any one of the third year students, but the person it belonged to was unmistakable. The whole school had heard the voice just the night before, and Harry remembered the stubborn, white-haired child he met in the hallways before the feast.

All heads turned towards the source of the voice, and all eyes, wide with surprise, landed on a white-haired boy in a muggle t-shirt, gawking at the Hippogriffs with unrestrained admiration in his young, dark eyes. "They're so cool!" he added happily, oblivious to the incredulous stares of the students who were actually in the class and the bug-eyed look of sheer surprise he received from the teacher of the class.

If anything, the shocked silence that followed his statement was even more profound than before.

* * *

TBC


End file.
